Lutheran's understanding of Mary

[Cary.Melvin]

What is the Lutheran understanding of Mary's role in Salvation history? How does it effect the Lutheran understanding of the nature of Jesus (with relation to His humanity and divinity)?

Do Lutheran's believe Mary is the Mother of God?

Do Lutheran's believe in Mary's virginal conception and is Ever-virgin?

Do Lutheran's believe that God made Mary immaculate from her conception (Without orginal sin)?

Do Lutheran's believe in the bodily Assumption of Mary, body and soul into Heaven (Like Elijah was)?

Thanks

[ByzantineDixie]

What is the Lutheran understanding of Mary's role in Salvation history? How does it effect the Lutheran understanding of the nature of Jesus (with relation to His humanity and divinity)?

Jesus was born of a woman, Mary. Mary was His Mother, God, His Father. He is 100% man, 100% God, 100% of the time.

Do Lutheran's believe Mary is the Mother of God?

Yes.

Do Lutheran's believe in Mary's virginal conception and is Ever-virgin?

Yes and "as you wish" (you may or may not believe that she was ever-virgin) respectively.

Do Lutheran's believe that God made Mary immaculate from her conception (Without orginal sin)?

Absolutely not! Jesus was the only sinless being to walk the planet. My pastor has an interesting take on this. Original sin was the result of Adam partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, not Eve. Hence, the sin is passed on through the man. Since God is the Father, no sin (original) can be passed on to Jesus. This is not a church teaching, just an interesting way of looking at what Scriptures says.

Do Lutheran's believe in the bodily Assumption of Mary, body and soul into Heaven (Like Elijah was)?

No biblical record of this. It's possible, but the bible does not speak to it.

Thanks

No problem...thanks for asking! :wave:

Rose

[Cary.Melvin]

Absolutely not! Jesus was the only sinless being to walk the planet. My pastor has an interesting take on this. Original sin was the result of Adam partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, not Eve. Hence, the sin is passed on through the man. Since God is the Father, no sin (original) can be passed on to Jesus. This is not a church teaching, just an interesting way of looking at what Scriptures says.


Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

It sounds like to me that they were both guilty of sin.

Aside from that, would it be permissable for an individual Lutheran to believe in the immaculate conception of Mary?

[ByzantineDixie]

It sounds like to me that they were both guilty of sin.

Aside from that, would it be permissable for an individual Lutheran to believe in the immaculate conception of Mary?


To answer your question...from Mueller's Christian Dogmatics
Original corruption (corruptio hereditaria) is transmitted to all men through the ordinary mode of generation, Ps. 51:5; John 3:6. Since Christ was conceived by the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary, Luke 1:35, His nature was not corrupted by sin (immaculate conception). However, for Mary, His mother, no immaculate conception can be claimed, since she was born according to the ordinary mode of generation, Luke 1:27, and was therefore in need of a Savior herself, Luke 1:47.
Mueller, John Theodore, Christian Dogmatics (Mueller), (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House) 1999, c1934.


But back to Genesis...God gave the command to Adam not to eat of the tree before Eve was even formed! Note that there eyes were opened once Adam ate of the apple.

Peace

Rose

[JVAC]

I just wanted to mention that the official church teaching is that Mary is ever virgin, but that teaching is not enforced as stated above. I like that aspect too, things that aren't necessary to salvation are given leeway.

-James